thundering nights (book 1)
by starrycoffee
Summary: a cat as strong as thunder, a cat as invisible as shadow, a cat as silent as river, a cat as swift as wind, and a cat as skilled as sky. Long after the reign of the original five Clans, a terrible outbreak of natural disasters struck the lake and left the place deserted as the other Clans fled. Four more have risen up living in the mountains near the lake.


Lakestar slipped through a crack in the narrow rocks, her sleek fur barely brushing the cold stone. She followed a strangely small brown tom through the clearing, scenting the grassy smell of moss. Up ahead the tom swiftly leapt over a fallen hollow log, his hind legs nearly touching the bark. Lakestar jumped over even less gracefully, avoiding the occasional branches that stuck from the log. The tom slowed, and what Lakestar saw was horrible.  
"This...this was the lake territory? Where the four Clans lived?" Lakestar gasped, her voice shaky.  
The tom nodded solemnly. "It pains me to say so. A large tornado swept over the land. They managed that, but after a hurricane struck and an earthquake shortly after, they had to flee. No cat knew why."  
"Perhaps it was a punishment from StarClan...?" A small voice crept behind Lakestar. A tall pure white she-cat padded next to the slightly smaller gray leader.  
The brown tom nodded. "Most likely. But for what, only they know."  
Lakestar didn't listen anymore. Instead, she ran her eyes over the ruined territory. Many trees were fallen, and small animals like lizards and birds roamed around. Fallen, broken nests were scattered all over the place while crowfood lied on the ground, rotten. There were even dead cats who had now begun to rot away. The standing trees were bare, torn leaves littering the pale ground. Twoleg nests' material was the most noticeable thing as they lay on top of everything. Looking around more, Lakestar noticed how wet things seemed to be, and that dried up water had stayed in the grass.  
"It gets worse, doesn't it?" A white spotted tom suddenly spoke, asking the brown tom.  
He nodded. "Much worse. The Thunderpaths are broken and left in clutters near the left side of the lake. Monsters are destroyed. More Twoleg things are all over the place. It's terrible."  
Lakestar sighed. "What could've made StarClan do such a thing?"  
"Maybe a sign?" The white she-cat suggested.  
"A very gruesome one at that," The white tom remarked.  
"Aspenstar, please." The brown tom narrowed his eyes. "The Moonpool...do you think it still might work?"  
Lakestar shrugged. "Any volunteers?"  
The white she-cat stepped forward. "I'd be willing to. I used to be a medicine cat-if StarClan will tell any cat anything, it might as well be me."  
The brown tom nodded. "Very well, Snowstar. Tell us anything you can."  
"Will do." Snowstar dipped her head, trying to make her way around the mess. Her long legs didn't help at all, but she only managed to make it to the lake with a small shard of a shiny-looking thing in her pad. She pulled it out, wincing, before sitting down as she reached the edge of the Moonpool. Crouching, she carefully touched her nose to the water, and almost immediately fell asleep.  
Lakestar watched the leader with an anxious air. She turned to the brown tom. "Larkstar, why have we come here again?"  
Larkstar turned back to Lakestar. "I've heard there might be signs of our strange dreams."  
Aspenstar snorted. "I think it's convenient how only the leaders have been getting the dreams."  
Larkstar shot a sharp glance at Aspenstar, but the leader only looked away, in Snowstar's direction. He followed his gaze, to find the leader twitching and mumbling incoherent things.  
Lakestar stared at Snowstar, wondering what could've been going on in her mind. And then she woke, looking strangely calm. Lakestar guessed maybe the message wasn't alarming.  
"Snowstar." Larkstar called in his gruff voice. "What have you discovered?"  
"Many things I can't share, to my great disappointment. But I have something, a prophecy most likely." Snowstar seemed to concentrate for a moment, before continuing. "The Clans will only be saved by a cat as strong as thunder, a cat as invisible as shadow, a cat as silent as river, a cat as swift as wind, and a cat as skilled as sky.  
Larkstar and Lakestar looked at each other, Aspenstar nodding. They all thought the same thing.  
 _The five Clans._


End file.
